Careers

My Journey as a Degree Apprentice: From Eco Models to AI Development

Elgan Edwards
December 11, 2025

I am starting my second year as a Degree Apprentice, and it has been quite a journey so far. I often get asked questions about what exactly it is and what I do from day to day, and as much as everyday is different, here is a small blog to explain more about my experience working with M-SParc and our tenant companies.

Simply put, a Degree Apprentice is someone who studies at University and college while also working as an apprentice in the field of their degree. This is what I am currently doing.

I decided to go for a degree apprenticeship because, personally, I didn’t feel that full-time education was the best next step for me. Since I already have family working in the software world, that inspired me to follow the same path. While searching for my options, I came across the opportunity to do a degree apprenticeship, and I have been lucky enough to be working here at M-SParc for the past year.

In my first year, I had to prove what I could do. I got the opportunity to work on a wide variety of projects:
Security: I set up the password system for M-SParc — we now use Bitwarden, which is a secure password manager.
Model Eco House: This was a lot of fun because I got to put my Design and Technology skills to work by building model houses. I had to decorate the environment, wire lights inside the house, and create street lamps that worked with solar panels, and even had wind turbines that lit up. The purpose of all this was to help children understand renewable energy, and Ffion and the STEM crew take the model to different schools.
AI and Automation: I created an AI content creation ‘agent’ to help the ‘Ar Y Lôn’ crew get content out faster. This is where my real journey with AI began. Then, I was given the ongoing task of building an AI booking system for M-SParc, to automate the process of booking meeting rooms here.

My first work placement in year 1 was with a company called 42able.

During my time there, I created an app template for them. It was a two-way experience, because they helped me massively with my own booking system. It was great to get the experience of working with a different team and learning new ways of doing things, and they were very welcoming.

Since finishing for the summer and starting my second year, I have continued to develop and improve the booking system, which is almost done now.

I have also been creating automations for M-SParc tenants to be able to report any issues easily. On top of that, I have been learning how to use the machines in the MakerSpace, which has been a great additional skill to gain.

I have just started with another company for my second-year work placement, which is Loyalty Logistix.

I am enjoying the professional atmosphere there very much, and I hope to get to work on exciting projects as I settle in more. It’s a great opportunity to see another side of the industry.

I am really enjoying the experience so far. To be honest, I didn’t expect to be so involved in so many real-world projects. I have learned very valuable skills which means I will be ready to apply for Software Engineering roles when I graduate.

I am looking forward to progressing in my degree apprenticeship, gaining more programming and AI skills, and continuing to work with the amazing people here.

What would I say to a young person considering this path? Go for it.

I would highly recommend Degree Apprenticeships because the benefits are amazing: